Banishing the SAHM blues and creating a fulfilling life as a stay at home mom takes an unwavering intent and consistent efforts on a day to day basis.
Conducting similar chores and carrying out routine tasks everyday without taking anytime off, leads to boredom and monotony in the SAHM life. Not to mention the physical & mental exhaustion that comes as a part of raising children and prioritising family over self and how all these add on to the SAHM blues.
We will be talking about some top, time-tested strategies that can help stay at home moms beat these everyday blues without losing your sanity.
19 Achievable Ways of Banishing the SAHM Blues
Here is my list of strategies for banishing the SAHM blues. Try these out and you can end up experiencing a sudden upswing in your mood.
| 1. Indulge in shopping |
| 2. Try Something New |
| 3. Do DIY projects |
| 4. Listen to your favourite music |
| 5. Take a trip to your go to Salon |
| 6. Go on a Holiday |
| 7. Hit the Gym |
| 8. Take time out with your girls |
| 9. Do something you love |
| 10. Volunteer to do something meaningful |
| 11. Have intelligent conversations |
| 12. Upskill yourself |
| 13. Collaborate & Delegate |
| 14. Enjoy a good snack |
| 15. Go on a Date with your partner |
| 16. Watch movie together |
| 17. Share & Connect with your tribe |
| 18. Party |
| 19. Let it Go |
1. Indulge in shopping
We have heard a lot of negative impacts shopping has enough finances. However, Indulging in the retail therapy has its own set of benefits too for the shopper. From killing boredom to using your mental faculties, from walking & burins calories to social interactions involved in shopping, all of these have their fair share of advantages.
Going ahead to shop in a controlled and mindful ways is a great way to banish the SAHM blues. It not only instantly uplifts the mood but also getting new stiff for yourself makes you feel good about your own self.
2. Try Something New
Be it adding a new recipe to your meal plan or decluttering the new way, adding a new activity to your morning routine to flaunting an ew look, trying out something new helps recharge your mood and brings in freshness & novelty in the day to day SAHM life.
3. Do DIY projects
Getting creative and taking a plunge in a Do It Yourself project works in a multiple ways to invoke good moods. Doing and making things has it own joy and sense of achievement. It makes you feel contended on one hand and valued at the other.
So be it working on making a beautiful vertical garden or knitting a crochet table mat, be it refurbishing wine bottles into beautiful lamps or making your own lip balms, take your pick and start off. There are a lot of resources available to help you al along the way in your DIY adventure.
4. Listen to your favourite music
Your choice of music can help uplift & keep up with good mood any time of the day. It also helps pep up the entire vibe of your house.And not just listen to your music but sometimes you may just carry the tune too. So use it to stay happy, energetic and positive too.
5. Take a trip to your go-to Salon
Sometimes just taking a break from your regular chores and routines and going out for self-indulgence into your favourite salon is a great idea that can help you get rid of SAHM blues. Indulge in an indulgent skincare ritual or get some perky nails done and see yourself transferring to a happy zone immediately.
6. Go on a Holiday
This one is a sure-shot way to feel happy & lively again. Take a break and go on a trip, explore a new place and try to live a life as a local in your destination. Apart from understanding the culture and people of that place, you would definitely take back a camera full of memories to recharge you whenever you feel dull again.
7. Hit the Gym
A regular dose of endorphins (chemicals that our body secretes when we exercise) is a great way to keep the SAHM blues away. However in a particular situation when you are feeling not upto the mark, try taking a sahmbreak for 30 minutes and just hitting the gym or going for a refreshing run or walk outdoors. You would instantly experience the happiness and good moods getting in.
8. Take time out with your girls
There is no better therapy for good moods than spending quality time with your friends. So take that time out for yourself to be with your favourite people and enjoy the plenty of chin music around. There you would see the infectious good moods getting passed on to you magically.
9. Do something you love
Spending time on things you enjoy doing is a great way to keep filling your own bucket of self-care on a daily basis. And this filled bucket goes a long way in making you strong enough to banish the everyday SAHM blues.
10. Volunteer to do something meaningful
Do something meaningful that is aligned to your purpose of being and see your self transform into fulfilled SAHM. This definitely gives you immense capabilities to fight the blues and thrive as a SAHM
11. Have intelligent conversations
Participating In intellectually stimulating conversations boosts your self-confidence and makes you feel more attracted. Additionally, this helps you in building your self worth and has positive impacts on your moods.
12. Up-Skill yourself
Upskilling is a term usually used in the context of work. However, to upskill yourself as a stay at home mom simply means learning a new skill or a set of skills that can add value to your life. Learning new skills helps you keep updated, & feeling refreshed.
13. Collaborate & make rules
Considering the overload of all the chores & responsibilities, it is a good idea to collaborate delegate & work as a team to take the entire project called household management. This eases out the overall stress and creates a fresh connect & belongingness amongst various members of the family.
14. Enjoy a Good Snack
I love to eat good food and it makes me happy. So if nothing else is working I know, something good ans=d satisfying to eat would definitely work for making me happy. So try this next time you are feeling blue and do share if it worked for you and in wit ways.
15. Go on a Date with your partner
Nothing beats the idea of going outdoor some “We time” with your partner when the intent is to feel happy and elated. And it does not have to be an exclusive candlelight dinner for the two of you to enjoy. It can be a simple as a coffee date to just visiting a book shop together. Figure out what you both enjoy doing and decide how you would want to spend your “WE time”.
16. Watch a movie together
Plan to watch a movie together. Step out or set it up at home, and just enjoy some uninterrupted cinema together.
17. Share & Connect with your tribe
For SAHM to take the initiative & get connected to other SAHM is a great stress buster. They share similar challenges, interests and share a common ground that you can identify with. So go ahead and join the community & create your own tribe.
18. Party
Sometimes it is rejuvenating to let your down and dance your blues away. So dress up, put on your dancing shoes and just rock the floor. All the other critical jobs on your list can definitely wait up for a day more. Party guilt-free.
19. Let it Go
The last tip is to learn from it, forgive & forget it and let it go. Don’t hold on to things that are adding no more value to you and your life.
Causes of Stress in SAHM
According to a survey done by Gallup, SAHM scored significantly higher on 5 dimensions of Worry, Sadness, Stress, Anger & Depression as compared to Employed /working moms.
So what do think can cause stress to a SAHM?
She has a rosy life, staying at home, doing everyday chores, she does not have to leave the baby and go out to work & perform & earn. What can cause her stress? Well, yes I have heard these innumerable times in my interactions all around.
1. A SAHM gives up her professional aspirations – Suddenly falls into financial dependence, faces Societal stigma, and develops feelings of worthlessness over time. She loses her status, income, friends & the life she knew and was used to. And mind you all this loss is every bit real. 2. A SAHM life is not easy – It’s a no holiday 24*7*365 job. Her work at home requires a lot of physical & mental exhaustion, she can’t prioritise & put away things for some other day because everything that she does is required to be done. And she has a huge responsibility of everyone’s wellbeing. 3. A SAHM immediate environment does not change – it is about managing the maids, househelps, kids & the house. You can’t expect taking a break. 4. Things like Post Partum Depression & Stay at Home Depression are real. They may be triggered by major life change or shift in hormones in women’s body.
Banishing the Blues My Way
I enjoy spending time with my kids
Another sure shot strategy that looks for me and whenever I’m feeling low is enjoying spending time with my kids. Kids are naturally kind, gracious & loving souls. And would instantly make your day with their unconditional love. So try reaching out to them when you re not feeling upto the mark and see how their hug and attention lifts you up and fills you up with love and pride at the same time.
I pray
Prayers nourish your should and fill up your bucket with peace and contentment. So I do chant whenever I am not feeling too good. While doing this, I am trying to communicate to the universe that there is a higher energy I believe in, I surrender to & I look upto for guidance. This really helps me move out of my blues quickly. Try this out, my fellow SAHM. Whatever be your faith or religion, just pray and see if it instantly changes your energy & vibrations.
I religiously follow my morning routine
This is the most essential part of my day & I can never miss it. A morning routine helps me stay calm peaceful and more in control throughout the day. I remain positive I am ready to face any of the challenges of life. With spending this time with myself in the mornings, I create a fresh intent to live a fulfilling day and recommit to my goals & values of life. This is something that keeps me happy grounded and energetic.
I spend time writing & working on my blog
For me, working on my blog is more than just writing. I find it therapeutic to work towards creating my brand. Because this is one space that reflects what I am in the best way that I can. So I make sure that I take out time every day to work on taking my blog a step closer to my vision.
I don’t run after Perfection
Perfection is a myth and I understood it quite early in life. I don’t run after perfecting every small chore or activity in my house. And this relieves me of a built-up of unnecessary stress in my life.
I eat my favourite food
This is my go-to strategy when nothing else is working. I am a big foodie at heart and my favourite food instantly and excites me and energise me. So whether it’s a satisfying home-cooked nutritious snack or order in from my favourite restaurant, it really doesn’t matter when I’m feeling low. I enjoy each one equally.
So these are some of the strategies that I suggest for banishing the SAHM blues. I hope you would be able to pick some for yourself & try them to see if they work for you too.